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Smile pretty as you illegally pass that bus

October 16, 2012 • Comments Off on Smile pretty as you illegally pass that bus

The City of Bristol, the Bristol Board of Education, and the Bristol Police Department have partnered with Red Flex/Student Guardian to implement the “Smart Bus Live” system on school buses in the community.
Certain school buses have been equipped with cameras to photograph vehicles that pass standing school buses that have their flashing red lights and stop sign displayed. The video showing the violation and the vehicle’s marker plate will be reviewed by the traffic division of the police department and a determination made if an actual violation occurred. If a police officer determines that a violation had occurred, the registered owner of the vehicle will be mailed an infraction for passing a standing school bus. After receiving the infraction, the owner of the vehicle will have the opportunity to logon to a special website and review a video showing their violation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 21 children under the age of 19 are injured or killed each year as pedestrians are getting on and off school buses. A 2011 study monitoring stop-arm passing incidents on nearly 112,000 buses in 28 states found 76,000 illegal passes in just one day. That represents more than 13 million illegal passes nationally in a typical 180-day school year.
There are no capital expenses Bristol as this program is funded by the violations. Overall, the system will increase the safety of all students that are making use of school buses in Bristol.